Steering Wheel Checks Alcohol Consumption

karvind writes "According to washingtonpost, Inventor Dennis Bellehumeur has made a $600 sensor that can be installed in a steering wheel or in gloves and will test a driver's skin to determine alcohol consumption. Bellehumeur, a real estate agent and deli owner in Wilton Manors, spent 12 years developing his sensor after his then-teenage son crashed into a utility pole while driving drunk and suffered minor brain damage. He received a patent this month and the sensor should complete testing this year."

YES!

[Capt'n Hector]

Before anyone goes off about freedom being limited, rights, etc... come on. Nobody has the right to drive drunk.

Oh, great.

[Max Threshold]

Another invention for the some do-goodnik politician to make mandatory on our vehicles. As if they aren't expensive enough already.

The 1927 model 'T' Ford cost $3138.49 in 2005 dollars. Ponder that for a bit.

Re:Rational Thought

[Tim C]

One shot of hard alcohol = one wineglass of wine = one bottle of beer = one FULL hour not driving.

It's a nice idea, and sounds good as a guide, *but*:

The way I pour/buy wine, one bottle gives you three glasses (250ml/glass). That means that three bottles of wine = nine full hours not driving.

Believe me, I've had three bottles of wine on an empty stomach; I was barely in a condition to stand the next morning, let alone drive.

In fact, it's perfectly possible to get drunk at night, feel fine in the morning and still be over the legal driving limit (at least in the UK, YMMV of course).

Re:Oh, great.

[gonknet]

The Model T sold for $825 in 1908 when it was first sold to the public.

The Model T sold for $575 in 1912. According to Forbes magazine: "When it sold for $575 in 1912, the Model T for the first time cost less than the prevailing average annual wage in the United States." (link [wiley.com])

Using the CPI:
$825 in 1908 would cost $16327.82 in 2005
$575 in 1912 would cost $11383.77 in 2005
(link [westegg.com])

The buying power of the average American family is much greater than it is today. There is no real good way to bring the price of the Model T into "2005 Dollars", but $32000 is probably really close.

Re:Technology easily fooled?

[toastydeath]

Alcohol evaporates off the skin, just like it gets expelled through the lungs. It's just a smaller quantity.

Re:This guy's a scumbag

[Wudbaer]

+1 for Slashdot kneejerk-antipatent-response
-5 for lack of common sense.

Just because that guy patents his device does not mean he will make shitloads of money with this (could still happen, but hasn't to. The world is full of poor inventors). OTOH he will likely not be able to manufacture it himself. Most manufacturers who look at this will want to have a more or less exclusive deal before they even will look closer at it. And this exclusivity can only be guaranteed by having a patent on it.

You can be against patents, but calling that guy a scumbag goes too far, IMO.